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A 3-D printer demonstration was held at a recent children’s event organized by the university where one of us works. And while some of the children seemed interested in the technology in general, most anxiously awaited the little gift pieces that were being printed: fidget spinners. The 3-D printing laboratory administrator commented that the cost of printing one of these spinners is less than $1 USD, while the average retail price is about $10 USD 1.

Although this story of printed spinners is a seemingly simple example, the impact technology asserts on many of our day-to-day activities is profoundly important. Soon enough, 3-D printers will be capable of replicating themselves and the cost of personally owning a 3-D printer will make them accessible to a large population of makers and prosumers. Will we all have 3-D printers in our homes? What will the implications be for traditional manufacturing industries? It is …